The Best Hot Drinks for Winter and Early Spring to Warm Up

When the weather turns cold, it’s time to break out those hot drinks that warm you from the inside out. Warm beverages not only make you feel cozy, but they are an effective way to relax after a hard or stressful day. They can help calm you and settle your mind while preparing yourself to go to bed. Here are a few hot drinks for winter to help achieve that hygge life. Keep in mind that these drinks are not exclusive to the winter months and can be enjoyed throughout the entire year.

Hot Tea Recipes

Tea is a go-to drink for any time of the year, and can help promote good health both mentally and physically.

Hot Honey Apple Tea

Ingredients:

• 2 large lemons
• 1/3 cup local honey
• 2 ½ cups filtered water, divided
• 1 ½ cups apple juice, unsweetened
• 1 family sized ice tea bag

Directions:

1. Remove the zest from one of the lemons and place it in a small pot.
2. Add the honey and ½ cup of water into the pot with the lemon zest. Stir the three ingredients together and heat on low.
3. Continue heating while stirring until the honey has dissolved. Remove the pot from heat and let steep for 20 minutes.
4. Strain the mixture, removing the lemon zest from the liquid. Discard the zest and pour the liquid back in the pot.
5. Add the remaining water and apple juice to the pot, and place on the stove over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
6. Add the tea bag to the mixture and then remove the pot from the heat. Cover the pot with a lid and let steep for 10 minutes.
7. Serve the tea warm.

This recipe was borrowed from Luzianne.

Warm Brown Sugar Milk Tea

Ingredients:

• 1 cup boiled water
• 2 black tea bags
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar + extra for garnish
• ½ cup milk

Directions:

1. Place the tea bags in a mug and pour the boiling water over top. Let the bags step for at least 5 minutes.
2. While the tea is steeping, warm the milk up in the microwave or on the stove.
3. Remove and discard the tea bags.
4. Pour the warm milk into the mug and then stir in the brown sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
5. Garnish with a sprinkle of brown sugar on top (optional) and drink while still warm.

This amazing recipe was borrowed from SweetSweep. 

Infused Hot Water Recipes

Infused water has become a popular way to flavor water naturally. You can infuse just about any fruit, vegetable, or herb, and even make a seemingly endless combination of flavors. When you serve the infused water hot, you turn the refreshing cold beverage into hot drinks for winter.

Rosemary Infused Hot Water

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 rosemary sprigs
• 1 to 2 teaspoons local honey
• 8 ounces of boiling water

Directions:

1. Put both the rosemary and the honey into your French press. If you don’t have a French press than use a teapot.
2. Pour the boiling water over the rosemary and honey, and let infuse for 5 minutes.
3. Plunge the French press (or strain out the rosemary sprigs if using a teapot).
4. Serve the infused tea warm.

This delicious recipe was borrowed from Leites Culinaria

Warm Lemon, Ginger and Honey Infused Water

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup local honey
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, finely grated
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 ½ cups boiling waterlogged

Directions:

1. Combine the lemon juice, honey, ginger, and cinnamon in a teapot.
2. Add the boiling water, cover, and let steep for 4 minutes.
3. Remove the ginger root from the teapot and pour the hot infused water into a mug.
4. Serve while still warm.

This infused water recipe was made by All Recipes!

Hot Cocoa and Hot Chocolate Recipes

Even though they are often used interchangeably, hot cocoa and hot chocolate are two different things. Hot cocoa is made primarily from unsweetened cocoa powder, while hot chocolate contains real chocolate. Both, however, are a must have for hot drinks for winter.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup baking cocoa, unsweetened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Dash of salt
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 4 cups whole milk
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extra
• Whipped cream or mini marshmallows for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine the cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Add the water and mix until well combined.
2. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
3. Let the mixture cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from burning or scorching.
4. Add the mix and continue to stir.
5. Bring the mixture to a low simmer, not boiling, and then remove from heat.
6. Stir in the vanilla and whisk until the mixture becomes frothy.
7. Pour the hot cocoa into a mug and top with the garnish. Serve while warm.

This recipe was borrowed from TasteOfHome.com

Spicy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar,
• 3/8 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 ¾ cups whole milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Whipped cream or mini marshmallows for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Whisk the unsweetened cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, sugar, and chile powder together in a pot.
2. Set the pot on the stove over medium low heat and continue to whisk until the chocolate starts to melt.
3. While still whisking, pour in the cream and then the cinnamon stick.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking constantly.
5. Remove the pot from heat and cover. Let the pot steep for 1 hour.
6. Add the vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
7. Turn the heat on low and let the mixture warm up.
8. Turn off the heat and pour the hot chocolate into a mug. Garnish with whipped cream or marshmallows.

This spicy recipe was borrowed from The New York Times.

Water Filters Make your Hot Drinks for Winter Healthier and Tastier

Having a water filter not only makes your hot drinks taste better, but it is actually healthier for you as well. Filtered water takes out impurities, so all you are left with is clean and delicious water. In fact, drinking filtered tap water provides various health benefits.

Filtered Water Removes Contaminants and Chemicals

Unfortunately, tap water often contains a wide array of contaminants that may not be best for your health. Fluoride and chlorine, for example, are two chemicals widely used in tap water. While they are generally considered safe in small quantities, they are still not something you want to consume regularly. A water filter removes these chemicals, so you are consuming the cleanest water possible.

Improves the Overall Health of your Skin

Hydration is vital for all parts of your body, even your skin. Filling your body with sugary drinks and chemical-filled tap water will do little to nothing to help improve the health and quality of your skin. Filtered tap water, however, provides the necessary hydration to help keep your skin healthy and looking young.

Promotes Drinking Water

How often have you filled yourself a glass of tap water, only to smell the abundance of chlorine? That strong and unpleasant odor is one of the quickest ways to make you pour out the water and grab a soda. With filtered water, you won’t experience that unpleasant chlorine smell. This fact alone is enough to encourage most people to consume more water. Furthermore, filtered water just tastes better.

Better Tasting Meals

The contaminants found in tap water can affect the overall taste of the meals you consume. Switching over to filtered water for cooking gives the ingredients their chance to shine without being bombarded by chlorine and minerals.

Reduces the use of Bottled Water

When people want clean water, they typically reach for bottled water. Unfortunately, bottled water poses an interesting problem since using it adds to the over-use of plastic that the world is currently dealing with. Having access to filtered water means you can reduce your plastic use and instead choose a reusable water bottle.

Don’t Wait Any Longer. Improve your Water Quality Today

At ONIT Home, we specialize in bringing you the highest quality products to make your home safer and healthier. This includes whole house filtration systems with reverse osmosis technology, which filters your water without any power source. With a whole house filter, you don’t have to constantly fill up a filtered water pincher. All the water in your home will be filtered before it runs out of the faucet. This means the cleanest water possible for not only drinking, but for cooking, and personal hygiene as well. A whole house filtration system is one of the best ways to keep you and your family healthy. Are you ready to improve the quality of your tap water? If so, contact us today at 1-800-610-2145!